13 Proven Ways To Stop Overthinking, From Psychology Experts

Racing thoughts, worrying, thinking too much. The frenetic thought pattern has so many names yet describes a single common experience: overthinking. 

Overthinking is defined as repetitive and unproductive thought patterns. It is usually an uncomfortable experience in the mind where it feels crucial to think through the issue at hand over and over. However, the "thinking through" oftentimes leads nowhere.

According to licensed therapist Kimberly Martin, LMFT, there are different ways overthinking can manifest, such as: 

There are evolutionary reasons why humans do so much of this type of thinking, according to licensed therapist Chay Tanchanco, LMFT. "Part of our survival as humans has depended on anticipating danger," she explains. "If our ancestors could predict where or when their life was threatened, they could plan to get away safely or prepare for a conflict, giving them a better chance at seeing the next day."

So, overthinking is a survival mechanism that was actually useful to our primal ancestors. But it's proving not so useful in today's world.

"In the modern world, we don't have the same kind of dangers as humans did thousands of years ago—however, our brains are still operating with many of those same systems," Tanchanco says. "Overthinking is our brains' way of trying to predict harm while applying the complex modern layers of societal stigmas, expectations, and safeguards."

There are many reasons why someone might be overthinking. Here a few of the big causes: 

"It is very common to overthink things when we are feeling strong emotions toward them," says Martin. That is, if a situation is eliciting a strong emotional response from you, you're more likely to start overthinking about it. 

According to Martin, some emotions that can spark overthinking include:

These are obviously common emotions, so in that sense, overthinking is simply a natural response to certain types of life experiences. "However, overthinking becomes a mental health concern when it becomes unmanageable and causes unwanted disruptions to one's day-to-day life," says Martin. 

Overthinking has been associated with depression, anxiety, PTSD, insomnia, and eating disorders1. "It is a common symptom of many mental disorders, commonly couched inside of self-doubt, excessive worry, or overwhelming [feelings] that others are out to get us," says licensed therapist Cynthia Siadat, LCSW.

So, overthinking can be thought of as a warning sign that something may be off, and it's worth working with a mental health professional if you feel like overthinking is getting in the way of your daily life.

Relatedly, a 2018 study2 also found that if you already have depressive symptoms, overthinking can reinforce depressive thought patterns. One way to get at the root cause of the depressive symptoms is to change the negative beliefs fueling the overthinking thought patterns. This process is best explored with a therapist.

Siadat says some of us overthink because the thought pattern was modeled to us by the adults in our early lives.

A 1963 study3 tested the power of observing behavior with an experiment that exposed moral judgment to children. They found that children who observed adult models and who received reinforcement held on to the moral teachings more effectively.

So, if we observed overthinking in our caretakers and had the thought pattern reinforced by common warnings like "make sure you don't…" and "double-check if…" we may have a higher likelihood of developing overthinking thought patterns.

"People who have witnessed [or] experienced traumatic events may be especially prone to overthinking due to fears and worries that the same events may happen again," Martin explains. "This causes hypervigilance as a way for our brains to keep us safe."

Our culture and environment can also contribute to overthinking, says Siadat. For example, "The old adage that has been the basis of much of Western thought, 'I think therefore I am' has encouraged a sort of disembodied experience in Western-influenced cultures that encourages more of a focus on what's happening above the neck versus below," she says. 

One review4 published in the Social Science & Medicine journal studied the language around "thinking too much" across global populations. It found that expressions like "I'm thinking too much" can be found in many cultures, and it's usually a sign that people are in mental distress. Although solutions for overthinking are available, the review found that solutions to treat "thinking too much" need to be culturally relevant. The good news is cultural sensitivity is starting to become more commonplace in therapy practices.

Your job may also be adding to your overthinking thought pattern. Some occupations require multiple facets of thinking before taking action, leading to chronic overthinking, says Siadat. The conditions of your surroundings shape the way you think.

Some people have minds that are just wired for jumping from idea to idea without pauses, says Siadat. For example, she says, one particular personality type that might be prone to overthinking is intelligent folks.

"Overthinking is a plague of the brilliant," Siadat asserts. "The capacity that brilliant people have to think quickly and with great depth can be astounding. It can also be difficult to turn off, especially in a culture where we are so frequently stimulated."

Tanchanco also sees overthinking as common among certain personality types. "I identify as and work with people I call 'Anxious Perfectionist Givers' (APGs)," she says. "We are notorious overthinkers and often got far in life because we tend to be planners, high achievers, and work in service industries such as nursing, education, and other care-related jobs. Because we are juggling many things and empathizing with others as part of our work, we tend to overthink past what is helpful or necessary."

If overthinking is getting in the way, try these tips to alleviate some of the mental chatter:

Overthinking is a habitual thought pattern that is specific to you. For example, you may tend to overthink when you're home alone. If you notice that you've been by yourself in your room with spiraling thoughts for a while, it could be the first sign that you're overthinking—and the signal that you need to transition to one of your coping strategies.

Becoming aware that you're overthinking is the first step to disrupting the behavior, says Siadat. "Ask yourself: What is usually the first clue that I've been overthinking?" she suggests. "Then the next step would be to identify what you would like to do instead."

After you notice that overthinking is happening, start to practice mindful awareness. When you have the ability to tap into mindfulness, you can start to observe the full cycle of your overthinking pattern.

Ask yourself:

Once you understand all the pieces of your overthinking pattern, you can get better at mindfully moving yourself out of your overthinking cycle.

"When someone has practiced identifying that they have started to overthink, in the moments they are in the throes of it, I highly recommend using that moment as a green light to tell them to engage in activities that involve them being engaged physically," Siadat says.

Some of her suggestions:

Relevantly, a healthy balance of exercise has been shown to have a positive effect on our emotions. Allowing your body to process thoughts can help ease the unnecessary chatter in your mind.

"Mindfulness practices are proven to be helpful in managing overthinking and disruptive thoughts," says Martin. "Mindfulness practices could be any healthy activity/skill that allows you to practice shifting your mind to the present moment rather than in the past or the future."

For example, she recommends mindfulness activities such as: 

"The key is staying connected to what you are experiencing internally and/or externally in the present moment," she notes.

"Suppressing negative thoughts can lead to more overthinking," says Martin. "It's like when someone tells you not to touch something, and it makes you want to touch it even more."

If you're dealing with overthinking and recurring negative thoughts, simply take notice when it's happening as you're building up your other coping tools. "Allow yourself to have the negative thought while strengthening your ability to let go of it and be in the present moment. And whenever you feel ready to take it a step further, you can practice challenging your negative thoughts and stopping your mind from going down the rabbit hole of overthinking." 

Journaling is a useful tool to get your thoughts out into the physical world because once on paper, thoughts can be processed and released. A good place to start is to jot down your thoughts, then gradually move into gratitude journaling.

Additionally, you can use alternative ways of getting your thoughts out like doodling or crafting. 

Scheduling worry time is a classic technique used in cognitive behavioral therapy, says Martin. "The idea is to table your worries until your scheduled worry time. This prevents you from spending too much time dwelling on random worries that appear throughout the day." 

Here's how she suggests doing it:

Sometimes being in a specific space can trigger you to overthink. So moving to a new space or changing up the environment that you're in can help.

"Playing some white noise or relaxing music can also help shift your mind, silence unwanted thoughts, and remind your brain to take a break," Martin suggests.

If overthinking is paired with worry, anxiety, and depressing thoughts, using joy can be a great antidote. Engage with your favorite activities that get you outside of your own head like going for a walk with your dog, calling a friend, or mindfully cooking your favorite meal. If you don't know what brings you joy, it is a worthwhile journey to find out what does.

If your overthinking tends to revolve around your own insecurities, Siadat suggests developing a dedicated self-compassion practice. Self-compassion allows us to hold ourselves with kindness. 

Siadat acknowledges, "Developing a practice of self-compassion can be helpful and can be incredibly difficult for people who find themselves overthinking." But self-compassion is closer than you may think. These practices can help you to start cultivating self-compassion right now.

If you're finding yourself overthinking about relationship issues—such as situations involving friends, family, or romantic partners—try to talk it out with the other person directly instead of ruminating about it on your own.

Worrying in relationships is normal, especially if trust is fragile. Since you are engaging with someone who has their own complex patterns of behavior, it's easy to misinterpret signals, words, and actions. The best way to understand another person is to open a line of clear communication. After all, if you're worried about the state of your relationship, remember that studies show time and time again that communication is a foundational element in relationship satisfaction5.

If you're not ready to talk directly with the person you're overthinking about, tap a mental health professional like a therapist.

Regardless of what subjects your overthinking revolves around, talking to a professional can help identify habits and patterns you aren't able to notice on your own. A therapist can act as a neutral third party who can help you move forward to overcome your overthinking pattern.

"Overthinking is not a weakness," Siadat reminds us. "It is a natural byproduct of being brilliant and in a world that encourages a lot of heady-ness. It has served us throughout our lives, and when it has limited our ability to live fulfilling lives, all that means is that it isn't the right tool for the task at hand and that we need to find and try a different tool."

It can help to consider the trade off that you're choosing when you overthink versus moving on. While it is important to take time before acting, dwelling for too long can often lead to unwanted consequences.

Overthinking can: 

Overthinking is a habitual thought pattern that can be reinforced by our surroundings. As with other habits, there are ways we can consciously choose to behave differently and reinforce new behaviors so that we can have a different outcome.

If overthinking is something that is getting in the way of living a full life, the best first step is acknowledging that it's happening. From there, many tactics, communities, and mental health professionals are available to help you live a life beyond your thoughts.